The Makati City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the illegal recruitment and estafa case against Maria Socorro Velasquez, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), that was filed by Krizelle Respicio, owner and founder of Alpha Assistenza SRL.
In a resolution issued on 2 July, the prosecutor’s office concluded that there was “insufficient grounds” to pursue the charges against Socorro.
“Socorro, in her counter-affidavit, rightly pointed out the lack of evidence establishing Makati’s jurisdiction over the cases. Beyond mere allegations, there is no concrete evidence to indicate that the falsification, tampering of the Nulla Osta, illegal recruitment, and deceit occurred within the city of Makati,” Senior Deputy City Prosecutor Emmanuel Medina said in the resolution.
The office also found “no direct or even circumstantial evidence,” suggesting that Socorro was involved in the falsification of the Nulla Osta, or work permits, issued to the alleged victims of Alpha Assistenza SRL.
“In addition, with regard to the charge of other deceits, we find insufficient allegations on how the crime was perpetrated in Makati. As indicated in the complaint, both parties reside outside of Makati. The mere fact that the Italian Embassy in located in Makati does not automatically imply that the alleged felonies were actually committed there,” it said.
“Finally, even if we were to entertain the hypothetical scenario where Socorro acted independently and solicited applications without the consent of Kriselle or Alpha Assistenza SRL, her liability would primarily be of a civil nature,” it added.
Respicio filed the charges against Socorro in September last year, months after her Milan-based immigration consultancy firm was accused of duping over 400 Filipinos with non-existent jobs in Italy.
Victims allegedly paid exorbitant fees up to P100,000 for relatives in the Philippines to secure what later turned out to be non-existent jobs under Italy’s “decreto flussi” program.
At present, four cases are pending against Respicio.
Two of these cases, involving illegal recruitment and estafa, were filed with the Department of Justice. The other cases are with the Office of the Prosecutor in Quezon province, where the majority of the victims reside.